


Smile

by babygirl127



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Family, Fluff, Love, M/M, light turtlecest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 23:07:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babygirl127/pseuds/babygirl127
Summary: Each of the guys take turns throughout the day making Leo smile





	Smile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hummerhouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hummerhouse/gifts).



> This is a belated birthday gift to the wonderful Hummerhouse

Breakfast had been a pleasant family affair that morning. Mikey had gotten up early enough to make them all chocolate chip pancakes which all five of them dug into with a gusto. Master Splinter was the first to finish before heading out to the living room to watch his stories leaving his children to relax until practice that night.

Leo was the next to finish thanking Mikey and patting him on the shoulder, a soft expression in his eyes, before heading to the dojo to get in a little training like he did every morning. Mikey watched Leo walk out of the kitchen with a thoughtful look on his face while Raph and Don continued to dig into their breakfasts. Just because they were eating though didn’t mean that they were oblivious to what their younger brother was doing.

“I know I’m going to regret asking this but what’s going through that tiny brain of yours Chucklehead?” Raph asked as he speared another bite of pancake on his fork and shoved it into his mouth.

“Oh you know there’s nothing about me that’s tiny Raph,” Mikey said with a smirk and a wink before glancing back at the door. “I was actually thinking about Leo. Have either of you ever noticed that he doesn’t smile very much.”

Both Raph and Don paused from eating their breakfast as they thought about what Mikey had said. Don was just about to respond when Raph beat him to it.

“Leo’s just more serious than you are Mikey that’s all. Just cause Fearless doesn’t walk around with a shit eating grin like you do doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong,” Raph said firmly.

Mikey frowned at Raph before pushing his empty plate away.

“Just because you’re Mister Grumpypants doesn’t mean everyone has to be. You’re probably just scared that you couldn’t make Leo smile even if you tried,” Mikey threw out, the dare clear in his voice.

Leaving the table and his brothers to think over what he just said, Mikey walked out of the kitchen and to the dojo where he knew Leo would just be getting warmed up. The youngest’s prediction was proved true when he stopped in the doorway to the dojo and just watched his older brother for a moment.

Inside Leo was standing in the middle of the practice mat going through a mock battle with an invisible opponent. He hadn’t been at it too long since he had just left the kitchen only a few minutes prior but it was long enough to already have built up a light sheen of sweat to draw Mikey’s eyes to his flexing muscles.

“Is there something I can help you with Mikey?” Leo asked as he gracefully transitioned from one movement to another.

“Actually yeah,” Mikey said with a wide smile. “The sun is still out so I can’t go topside and I have a lot of energy to burn. I was kind of hoping you might want to spar.”

Leo couldn’t quite stop his brow ridge from raising slightly at Mikey suggestion. It wasn’t that his brother never trained outside of practice. It was more that when the idea came up there was usually a quid pro quo with it and rarely was his younger brother the one to suggest it. That just made it all the more reason to take the younger turtle up on his once in a blue moon offer.

With a half grin Leo spun until he was standing in the middle of the mat with his swords up in a ready position. “I wouldn’t mind a live opponent to practice against.”

Mikey smiled widely for a moment before letting his face become more focused. Pulling out his nunchucks and giving them a few warm up spins, Mikey approached his older brother. Once they were both in position they gave one another a respectful bow and the spar began.

Leo made the first move giving an experimental swing of his right sword that met only empty air. Mikey had already twisted around to put himself to Leo’s left side. Despite the fact that Master Splinter had taught them all how to wield weapons with both of their hands and that Leo was a master swordsman with both hands, he was still right hand dominant in all other aspects of his life and Mikey was going to use any advantage that he could get.

Keeping himself constantly moving, Mikey attacked and defended in equal measure. Never once did he let the momentum of his nunchucks falter as he littered his older brother’s skin with a multitude of grazing blows. By tomorrow Leo was going to have more than a few bruises to show for their spar. Not that the elder turtle was holding back though. Leo was giving as good as he was getting.

Every time Mikey was a hair’s breadth too slow he earned a nick from one of Leo’s swords as a consequence. None of the cuts were deep or severe enough to call the match but were reminders of the very real danger that lay outside their home waiting for them if they were to drop their guards. Neither turtle was about to let their brother get complacent and so made sure that each blow they landed would be felt and remembered.

Sweat glistened on sea green skin stinging the cuts that he had received but Mikey didn’t let that shake his focus. He was the one that had asked for the spar and he wasn’t about to give any less effort than Leo was.

Back and forth they traded strikes, neither gaining any advantage over the other as they went. Mikey knew that he was going to have to make a move soon or risk losing the fight. While there was no question that he himself was a wellspring of energy Mikey knew that if it came down to it, Leo had the stamina to outlast him in a battle scenario like this.

The next time Leo sent one of his swords swinging at Mikey, the sea green turtle shot out one of his chucks to tangle the chain around the crossguard and slam the hardened wood into Leo’s wrist before yanking back with as much force as he could muster. For half a second the balance hung between them before it shifted rapidly in Mikey’s favor.

Quick as a flash Mikey sent the sword skittering to the side just out of Leo’s reach and forced his brother off balance and forward a staggering step. Immediately Mikey followed up his attack by sending the nunchuck in his right hand slamming into the back of Leo’s left thigh just above the knee causing it to buckle. Leo tried to twist away but Mikey wasn’t about to let that happen.

Pressing his advantage Mikey tackled Leo down to the mat pinning the forest green turtle on his plastron with the arm that had lost his sword trapped between his chest and the floor. Mikey moved quickly and dug his knees into the back of Leo’s thighs pressing into the bunch of muscles so that his older brother wouldn’t be able to buck him off.

Leo wasn’t going down easy though and brought his remaining sword up to thrust behind himself and force Mikey off of him or risk being cut. Mikey had the upper hand though and used the chain of his nunchucks to catch the sharp edge and force it back down to the ground. Using the forward momentum of pushing the sword down, Mikey reached out, dropping one set of chucks in the process, and just managed to grasp Leo’s lost weapon. With the sword firmly in hand, Mikey laid the blade across the back of Leo’s neck in a clear warning as to what would happen if his brother continued to try and fight.

On the floor Leo stilled knowing that there was no way to free himself without having his spine severed by his own finely honed blade. A few moments passed by where the stalemate between them held before Leo relaxed his body in defeat.

“I yield,” the eldest said.

Immediately Mikey pulled the blade away from the back of Leo’s neck and moved back enough so that Leo wasn’t pinned beneath him anymore. Leo took the minor retreat as incentive to twist around on the floor so that he was laying on his carapace looking up at his brother straddling his lap.

The face that gazed up at the youngest turtle was open and happy with an honest smile stretching across his lips. It wasn’t often that Mikey got to see his brother so open and happy that it made his heart flutter and give him an answering smile back.

“That was amazing Michelangelo,” Leo complimented as he ran his finger up Mikey’s thighs to rest at his waist. “You’d be unstoppable if you fought like that all of the time.”

Mikey leaned forward until he was pressed flush again Leo with their lips merely inches apart.

“Yeah but where’s the fun in that,” he whispered huskily before sealing their lips together in a slow, soft kiss.

When he pulled away Leo was still smiling up at him. Mikey couldn’t stop the wide grin that split across his face as he stood up and offered a hand to help Leo up to his feet.

“Thanks for the spar bro. Next time you’ll think twice before underestimating the Battle Nexus Champion,” Mikey crowed.

Leo’s arm shot out and wrapped around Mikey’s neck pulling him in close before he could react as Leo used his free hand to dig his knuckles into Mikey’s head. Letting out an indignant squawk, the sea green turtle struggled to get away from the insistent noogie.

After a minute of fun torture, Leo let up and allowed the arms that had been trapping his brother to fall lightly around sea green shoulders. Laughing, the two of them walked out of the dojo together having a much better time than the red banded turtle up in his room.

Raph was laying back in his hammock idly flipping through a magazine thinking about what Mikey had said over breakfast. So what if Leo didn’t smile all that often?

It’s not like it bothered Raph that their lives were so screwed up that there wasn’t too much reason for Leo to smile in the first place. It wasn’t like it got under Raph’s skin that when Leo did smile it was more likely to be with one of their younger siblings than with him. It certainly wasn’t driving Raph crazy that he had been trying to think of something to make Leo smile since breakfast and so far had come up with absolutely nothing.

Tossing the magazine down, Raph stomped out of his room just in time to see Leo and Mikey walking out of the dojo. Raph couldn’t stop a slight frown creasing across his face at the smiles and laughter coming from his oldest and youngest brothers. It was just so easy for Mikey that Raph wasn’t sure what he could possibly do to match him when it came to making any of them that honestly happy.

One more glance at Leo had Raph pushing away the negative feelings and strengthening his resolve. It wasn’t going to be easy but to Raph, Leo was more than worth the time and effort he was going to put into making his big brother smile.

The rest of Raph’s day was spent on the fringes of family activities as he tried to think of anything that he could do to make Leo come close to smiling as openly as he had with Mikey earlier. By the time evening practice ended Raph had only come up with one idea and he wasn’t sure that it was going to work but it was all he had.

As one they all bowed to their sensei at the end of training before Mikey took off to play video games and Don headed to his lab to get some work done. Raph twirled his sais around in his fingers a few times before shoving them firmly into his belt and turning to face Leo.

“So I was thinking that I’m gonna go out for a run now that training’s over,” Raph said.

Leo quirked up an eyebrow in response. “Are you taking Casey with you?” he asked.

“Actually I was hoping that you might want to stretch your legs with me,” Raph told him.

Surprise flashed through Leo’s eyes for just a moment before being replaced with something softer. “I’d be happy to join you,” Leo said as he followed Raph out of the dojo.

As soon as they were out of the lair Raph set an easy pace jogging through the sewers with Leo keeping close on his heels to the manhole he had decided on earlier. He had planned out a route through the city that minimized their chance of coming across only criminal activity. Tonight was just for them, not for patrol. The people of the city were just going to have to rely on the regular police for one evening.

When they reached the manhole that Raph had in mind the larger turtle was the first up the ladder raising the metal disk carefully to check if the coast was clear. Seeing nothing threatening in the alley Raph was up, out, and climbing up the fire escape knowing that Leo would be right behind him. In less than a minute the alley looked as though they had never been there and they were standing on the rooftop overlooking their own personal highway.

“Wanna race?” Raph asked shooting his brother a grin that was more than a little predatory.

The corners of Leo’s mouth curled up in an answering half grin of his own. The slight bunching of Leo’s leg muscles was the only warning that Raph got before Leo was taking off across the roof. Letting out a whoop of excitement Raph took off like a shot after his brother. It was an agreement between all of them that whoever was in the lead got to pick the direction and Leo leading wasn’t in Raph’s plan for this night.

It took the length of two city blocks before Raph was able to cut down Leo’s head start and draw even with his brother. Tonight they weren’t going to be a leader and follower. Tonight they were just going to be two brothers.

Having grown up side by side neither of them needed words to know what the other was thinking. The closer they got to the bright lights of downtown the faster they ran. Rooftops flew by underneath their feet as the jumps between became more elaborate and daring. Up ahead Raph could see a larger intersection that would make for a more difficult jump if they wanted to get across in one piece without being seen.

“Last one across was hatched from a rotten egg,” Raph taunted as he sprinted towards the edge.

As he ran Raph’s eyes rapidly scanned the streets below taking in the amount of light, foot traffic, and vehicular traffic. Deciding on a plan of action seconds later, Raph took a flying leap when he reached the edge of the building. Despite his bulk Raph landed lightly on the top of a lamppost on the edge of the sidewalk before leaping off to land on the top of a passing trailer truck. Clinging tightly to the top Raph rode the truck partway down the street before jumping off onto another street lamp and using that to catapult himself nimbly over the edge of the roof opposite where he had just come from.

Raph spun around on his heels just in time to see Leo bound over the rooftop edge after him. He didn’t see how Leo got across but what he did see was the wide happy smile stretching across his face and the pride shining in his eyes. Leo’s smile didn’t dim as he walked over to his brother’s side and clasped Raph on the shoulder.

“That was very clever how you got across the street. Looks like I’m the rotten egg this time,” Leo said good naturedly.

“Naw,” Raph dismissed with a wave of his hand. “I think Mikey has a firm claim on that title.”

That earned a quiet chuckle from Leo before the elder turtle gave his brother’s shoulder one last squeeze before releasing it. “Are you still in the mood for a run?” Leo asked.

Raph just flashed his brother a smirk and answered the same way Leo had earlier be taking off across the roof knowing that his brother would be right on his heels in a second. Together they spent the next few hours running and playing on their own personal playground. It wasn’t until even the ever bustling city settled down for the night that the two of them headed home to where their family waited, likely already tucked into bed.

At least by the time they got home most of their family was already in bed like any normal person would be at this time of night. Raph rolled his eyes in amusement at the obvious exception before heading upstairs to his hammock and letting Leo deal with their sleep averse genius little brother.

Looking towards the light spilling out around the half open door to Don’s lab, Leo turned himself in that direction. It was getting late even for them and he wanted to be sure that Don got more than a couple of hours of sleep passed out on his desk. When Leo pushed the door open further so that he could walk into the lab he was surprised by the sight that waited for him.

Instead of working away at his computer or tinkering with one of his many projects, Don was in the process of reaching to turn off his desk lamp. The computers were already darkened and his purple mask hung loosely around his neck. Leo paused, frozen in the doorway, not sure how to proceed now that it was clear he wasn’t going to have to fight his brother about turning in for the night and going to bed at a decent hour.

“Hey Leo. Did you need something?” Don asked running a critical eye up and down his brother looking for any injuries out of habit.

The corners of Leo’s mouth ticked up at the obvious care coming from his little brother.

“No,” Leo replied as he rested a hip against the doorframe. “I was just coming to check that you hadn’t fallen asleep at your desk again.”

“Not tonight,” Don chuckled.

Reaching back out Don turned off the desk lamp plunging the room into darkness. Without waiting for his eyes to adjust to the change in light, Don confidently strode around the various obstacles having long since memorized where he kept everything in his lab.

Taking Leo’s hand in his, Don closed the door to the lab behind them and led the way upstairs. Bypassing his own door Don continued until they were stopped outside the eldest’s room though he made no move to enter. It was one thing to be invited inside his brother’s sanctuary but quite another to presume as far as Don was concerned.

With quiet laughter dancing in his eyes, Leo reached passed his brother, opening the bedroom door, and gesturing for them both to enter. As far as Leo was concerned there were very few things in this world he would deny any of his brothers and sharing his bed wasn’t one of them.

Gear and masks were removed by expert hands and set neatly aside. Weapons were laid out in easy reach of the bed, indicators of paranoid self preservation learned the hard way. Don was the first to climb into the bed leaving the spot closest to the door for Leo knowing the leader liked to keep himself between his brothers and any potential threat.

As soon as Leo had gotten himself settled Don nuzzled his way in until his head was tucked under Leo’s chin and let out a sigh of contentment before placing a chaste kiss to Leo’s collarbone. Don could feel the relaxed smile on Leo’s lips as his older brother returned the kiss to the top of his head.

Slowly the two of them relaxed, limbs tangled together, as sleep took hold. Just as he was drifting off Don let his final thoughts of the day turn back towards Mikey’s comments over breakfast that morning. There was no doubt in Don’s mind that his brothers had each done something that day to try and make Leo smile just like the genius has by easing Leo’s mind by going to bed at a decent hour.

There was one thing off about Mikey’s assessment however. Just because Leo’s lips didn’t smile as often as the others, when it came to his brothers, Leo was always smiling with his eyes.


End file.
